Florida SC.4.N.1.3
The Standard
Explain that science does not always follow a rigidly defined method ("the scientific method") but that science does involve the use of observations and empirical evidence.
Florida Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students describe how an investigation can change based on the question, observations, or unexpected results. They separate observations and measured evidence from guesses or opinions.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can compare two valid ways to investigate the same question and explain why both count as science. They can adjust a procedure while continuing to record evidence.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think every investigation must use the same steps in the same order. They may treat opinions as evidence or think changing a procedure means the investigation failed.
How to Assess It
- Give students a scenario where a plant unexpectedly wilts during an investigation. Ask them to name the observation, choose a next step, and identify needed evidence.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups salt, sugar, and cornstarch samples, hand lenses, and water droppers; students choose the test order and record observations.
Ask, “Can two scientists study the same question using different steps?” Students answer with one claim and two reasons.
Run a card sort where students build two valid investigation paths, then label every observation and evidence card.
Compare a weekly weather forecast with recorded temperatures, then discuss how meteorologists adjust predictions when new evidence appears.
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Printable SC.4.N.1.3 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- SC.5.N.2.1
Recognize and explain that science is grounded in empirical observations that are testable; explanation must always be linked with evidence.
- SC.5.N.1.5
Recognize and explain that authentic scientific investigation frequently does not parallel the steps of "the scientific method."
- SC.7.N.1.6
Explain that empirical evidence is the cumulative body of observations of a natural phenomenon on which scientific explanations are based.
- SC.3.N.1.7
Explain that empirical evidence is information, such as observations or measurements, that is used to help validate explanations of natural phenomena.
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